Crystal Palace will leave a player out of their pre-season squad with Wrexham set to sign him
Crystal Palace look set to cash in on one of the fastest-rising defenders in the EFL, with Danny Imray set to make a permanent move to Wrexham after impressive progress away from Selhurst Park.
Imray may not have featured at Palace, but the defender has built a solid reputation in a series of carefully selected loan spells.
The 23-year-old first caught the eye at a young age with Chelmsford City before joining Crystal Palace’s Academy in 2021.
Since then, the club has prioritized his long-term development, allowing him to gain valuable experience in the lower division.
After an encouraging loan spell at Chelmsford, Imray took another big step forward with Bromley in the 24/25 season. A regular in League Two, he established himself as one of the division’s all-time attacking full-backs, making over 40 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals and helping Bromley to adapt to Football League life.
His strength, crossing ability and willingness to drive forward quickly attracted the attention of clubs higher up the pyramid.
Palace responded by sending him to Blackpool at the start of last season.
Imray made another strong impression in League One before being recalled midway through the campaign. Palace believed he was ready for an even bigger challenge and quickly agreed to a loan move to Championship side West Brom.
The England international played regularly in the second half of the campaign, making 15 appearances in all competitions and scoring once as he showed he can compete freely at Championship level.
At the end of the season, several Championship clubs were monitoring his situation, convinced that he was ready for a permanent move, and that his growing reputation now led Wrexham to the front of the line.
Wrexham are closing in on a deal for Crystal Palace defender Danny Imray
According to Telegraph reporter Mike McGrath at X, Palace expect to leave Imray out of their squad for the Como Cup in Italy as talks over his departure are imminent.
McGrath says the defender is set to join Racecourse for around £5 million, and his absence from the Palace squad is expected to allow the move to progress without undue disruption while the two clubs finalize the remaining details.
For Palace, the deal represents another example of a gold-producing institution.
Although Imray did not break into the first team, the club’s willingness to invest in his development greatly increased his market value.
A £5 million fee for an academy signing five years ago would represent excellent business and also give the defender the regular first-team football he now needs.
For Wrexham, on the other hand, it would be another statement signing.
The players who hope to be promoted to the Premier League have shown that they are willing to invest a lot of money in order to hold their own at the top of English football.
Bringing in one of the club’s most promising young defenders will underline those ambitions, and once the move is complete, Imray will arrive with energy, confidence and experience gained at all levels of the English pyramid.
